Meet the Studio Coordinator
Sienna Belanger-Lee, x̌ixʷutəm, Zhaangswi Giizis
XXX
Sienna’s sm̓y̓m̓ay̓
way̓, x̌ast sx̌əlx̌ʕalt. inca iskʷíst x̌ixʷutəm, kn mut l nk̓maplqs k̓ík̓aʔt nsisúlaʔxʷ. Hello, good day. My name is Sienna Belanger-Lee. I am from Head of the Lake near Dry Creek, in the northern part of the Syilx Okanagan Nation.
Syilx and Anishinaabe artist, language learner, and land steward with over ten years of experience in land restoration, permaculture, and community-based Indigenous arts. Trained in Nsyilxcn language fluency with a Certificate and Diploma completed through En’owkin, NVIT and UBC Okanagan. My work centres on land-based learning, Indigenous fibre arts, ecological care, and creative reconciliation through visual art, installation, facilitation, and documentary storytelling.
iksk̓ʷúl̕əm
Sienna is the studio’s coordinator and a Syilx and Anishinaabe artist, language learner, and land steward. For over a decade, she has worked in land restoration, permaculture, and community-based Indigenous arts, supporting projects that reconnect people with land, language, and story.
Trained in Nsyilxcn fluency, Sienna holds both a Certificate and Diploma completed through En’owkin and NVIT.
This language work is at the heart of her practice and shapes how she approaches collaboration, education, and creative process.
Her work centres on land-based learning, Indigenous fibre arts, ecological care, and creative reconciliation. Through visual art, installation, facilitation, and documentary storytelling, Sienna helps cultivate spaces where Indigenous knowledge, environmental stewardship, and artistic practice come together to imagine more just and sustainable futures.
Artistic & Professional Experience
Artist · Facilitator · Studio sísp̓l̓k̓ Cordinator · Land-Based Practitioner
Syilx Okanagan Territory
Sqilxʷ Apna Society — Assistant & labourer (2019–2022)
Assistant to artist Mariel Belanger
Creek rehabilitation and forest restoration
Indigenous Agriculture & Permaculture
Tie Dying Workshop
Technical support (sound, lighting) for Sqilxʷ Apna – The People Now (Live) at the Performing Arts Centre
Studio sísp̓l̓k̓ (Gallery Internship) (2023)
Resource creation
Indigenous arts programming support
Selected Exhibitions, Film & Artistic Projects
Mural installation – Horse mural, OKIB Immersion School (2013)
Pulling Threads — Performing & Participating Artist (2015)
Model — Model for Designer Jill Setah (2016)
Job Shadow / Collaboration — Installation 525, Kelowna Rotary Art Centre (2017)
“The Earth Re:Claimed Her” — Artist Curator, Greenhow Museum at O’Keefe Ranch (2018)
Illustrator, Radical Tree — Canadian Soundings Symposium, Victoria (2022)
sn̓kłca̓ʔsqáx̌aʔ tkłmílxʷ — StoryHive Documentary (2023–2024)
sn̓kłca̓ʔsqáx̌aʔ tkłmílxʷ Screenings — Studio sísp̓l̓k̓, Vernon Performing Arts Centre, Powerhouse Theatre (Vernon), Kamloops Film Festival (2024–2025)
Creative Reconciliation Workshop Series — Caetani Arts Centre (2025)
Creative Reconciliation Workshop Series — Vernon Art Gallery & Vernon Immigration Society (2025)
Painting Our Roots — Youth Tule Paper Workshop (2025)
Professional Development — Mural Mentoring from Syilx Artist Levi George (2025)
Community & Experimental Film Work (Youth):
I Still Hear My Granny Speak — Child Actor, Alternator Gallery / ullus Collective; imagineNATIVE Film Festival; Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival (2008)
X̌ixʷutəm — Featured Child, Alternator Gallery / ullus Collective (2010)
Reminders for the People — Child Model, Experimental Film (2012)
Concession – Louis Estates Rodeo Arena (2017)
Land-Based & Ecological Work
Sqilxʷ Apna Creek Rehabilitation & Forest Restoration (2019–2022)
nsisúlaʔxʷ Food Forest — Design, development, and installation (2024-ongoing)
Over 10 years of experience in land restoration, permaculture, and Indigenous ecological practices
Skills
Indigenous fibre arts & plant-based materials
Land-based pedagogy & facilitation
Nsyilxcn language learning & cultural knowledge
Ecological restoration & permaculture design
Community-engaged art practice
Documentary & experimental filmmaking (emerging)
Digital Art & Graphic Design
Affiliations & Collaborations
Sqilxw Apna
ullus Collective & Gallery
Okanagan Indian Band & Immersion School
Caetani Arts Centre
Vernon Public Art Gallery
Studio sísp̓l̓k̓ Gallery
NVIT
En’owkin Centre
UBC Okanagan
Follow us on Social · Follow Us On Social · Follow us on Social ·
Follow us on Social · Follow Us On Social · Follow us on Social ·
